


Christmas without Kin

by thecannibalofoz



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Antlers, M/M, There is nothing sexual or violent don't worry it's all just Christmas, Wills hallucinations, cant stop thinking bout the ripper doesn't know he's helping him decorate his house, it's 2am
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 19:15:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5467937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecannibalofoz/pseuds/thecannibalofoz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the day before Christmas Eve but our favourite cannibal and his gal pal Graham aren't feeling so festive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in the early hours of the morning But I should have corrected the mistakes now. There's more to come.

Hannibal glanced over at the immaculate table that he had set. A pristine ivory tablecloth enveloped the shiny, polished oak like the snow that should have been blanketing the ground, at this time of year. But surprisingly, Baltimore was as dry as bone; not a single snowflake had fallen and the ground remained the same cold asphalt it was all year round. Not exactly the environment to get one into the Christmas spirit. He picked up his plate, the only one at the table, and cutlery and headed toward the sink.

Indeed, the festivity was well on its way, what with Christmas Eve just a day away, and everyone around was bustling to buy the last minute gifts and foods to share with their kin. Often Yuletide is the time where one spends not just excessive amounts of money, but quality time with only the closest family and friends. Family, however, is certainly a department Dr Lecter lacks in.

He'd set up the lush, emerald tree about a week prior to now, and it was modestly adorned, the only seasonal decoration the house seemed to bear. No halls were decked with boughs of holly, there was no need to be flashy, he thought. After all, by the looks of things, he'd be the only one who needed to worry about seeing them.

The door bell rang. He slowly dried off his hands. It rang again.

"Patience is a virtue," he muttered under his breath as he made his way toward the front door. Will Graham was outside, ruddy faced due to the cold. It wasn't entirely unexpected; Will has a tendency to wander over, but he hadn't made any plans to see him that day by any means.

"Will. Do come in." He gestured towards the hallway was Graham stepped in, removing his woolen coat in the process.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything, Dr Lecter, but I just thought I'd, um, stop by, you know."

"You did not interrupt anything, Will. Nothing of importance anyway, just a bit of washing up. I've already had my lunch, but I'd be happy to make you a small something if you needed."

"It's alright, Dr Lecter." He paused. "On second thoughts, could you make us some coffee? Thanks."

"No problem." Hannibal smiled. He knew there was more to Will coming over than just stopping by, but he felt he should allow Will to explain why when he feels so. He returned to the room with the mugs of coffee, hot and strong.

Will murmured appreciatively, his eyes flicking around the room. "Not much decoration this year, Dr Lecter?"

"Well, I have no one to impress. It's just me over this season and I felt there was no need to go overboard."

"I'm spending Christmas alone, too. I don't think I'll even have a tree. We're a sad bunch, aren't we?"

"Well, alone is what you make of it, Will." Hannibal was trying to subtly get Will to tell him why he really came, although he knew already. He wanted to hear it from him. "But since you're here, would you like to help me make the place look a tad more festive?" Hannibal paused "Although since you were only stopping by, I wouldn't want to keep you."

Will sighed, "Dr Lecter, you know full well I was more than just stopping by. I could see that look in your eye, you know the one when you're trying to get inside my head."

"When am I not?" He said playfully.

"I'll be honest with you; the...hallucinations have been worrying me more and more. And being alone at this time of year just reminds me of everything I don't have and-and I've never really cared but.." Hannibal stared at him intently, nodding slightly. "You know, the sleepwalking and everything. If I'm alone I have to keep constant company with myself and with the visions and the sounds, and I just want to have a normal Christmas. And I know you don't have anyone to spend it with either so could I stay here? Just till Boxing Day, and then I'll go? Please?" 

Hannibal smiled. "Normally I would try and discuss your hallucinations but I'm off duty and willing to let you live at this time of year. I'll show you to the guest bedroom." He wandered out the room. When he reached the door frame he turned around and grinned once more, "Still wish to help with a spot of decorating, Will?"


	2. Antlers

"Umm, yes, if that's okay." Will replied, starting to stroll across the room,

"I mean I don't have anything to help you with-"

"I have decorations in the attic, Will. I just chose not to use them. I shall go and get them now, and if you please, you could lend a helping hand with putting them up?"

"Sure. Sure, it's the least I can do if I'll be inconveniencing you."

Hannibal headed down to the attic to retrieve the decorations. The box in which they were kept was falling to pieces, covered in dust due to lack of use. He saw strings of golden and silver tinsel, baubles; nothing too bright or gaudy, subtly festive and rather elegant, much like Hannibal himself. A small statue of a reindeer, carved out of wood, stood nobly beside the box. He remembered having made it a few years prior. It's antlers, beautifully carved with the skill of a surgeons hand, where the crowning glory of the piece. Antlers.

He gently stroked the piece before placing it on top of the other decorations and slowly making his way back up. Will was sitting at the kitchen table, eyes shifting around the room, fingers fidgeting with the buttons on his plaid shirt. The man arose abruptly,

"Oh, Dr Lecter! I was wondering what had taken you so long."

"Just taking my time, there's no rush."

"No, there isn't." He peered into the box, "That's a beautiful statue."

"Thank you. I made it myself, I've always been fond of carving, creating pieces of art, creating beauty."

Will stroked the antlers carefully, "It must have taken an enormous amount of effort to carve such a delicate piece, especially these antlers."

"The antlers may seem delicate, but they have strength."

A rather awkward moment of silence swept over the room, until Will decided to break it; "Better get started, eh?"

They were rather quiet throughout the process of the decoration, only occasionally speaking as they hung tinsel over the walls and even a spot of (fake) mistletoe in the corner of the kitchen. It felt strange being here, Will thought, in his psychiatrists house at a time normally reserved for those we call family. But he wasn't complaining. He tried to cheer himself up, thinking maybe if he had someone to share the season with he'd be able to shut off his thoughts for a while, to stop thinking about The Ripper or about his visions or his nightmares. But those antlers, those intricately handcrafted antlers, had only served to make him dwell even more on the artistic murders he had to walk himself through.

"Is there something on your mind, Will?" Hannibal inquired.

"N-no, no, I'm fine. I'm fine." Time was moving slowly, but moving nonetheless. As Hannibal pinned the last snowflake to the front room wall, it occurred to Will that just two hours had passed since he had arrived.

"There. That should do it," Hannibal said as climbed down the stepladder, "Thank you for your assistance Will."

"Happy to help."

"You seem rather distracted."

Will was in his own bubble, thinking about the Ripper, "Oh, I was-I was just thinking about what I'll do on Christmas Day."

"I see," replied Hannibal, sceptical that the holidays were what was plaguing his mind, "As you most probably know, I'll be cooking."

"Turkey?"

"Well, yes. I know that traditional Lithuanian celebration- the Kucios- is meat-free and on Christmas Eve rather than the day itself. But I don't feel an obligation to follow it, especially as it is a family only meal."

"Oh. Will you be giving gifts?"

"I gave a few colleagues gifts the last time I saw them, as is customary. I don't suppose you are expecting any gifts, Will?"

"No! I don't think I've ever really expected gifts. Alana did get me a little something though, when I last saw her. An aftershave. But I'm not sure which one, haven't opened it yet."

"Alana is a very kind lady. Hopefully she has good taste in fragrance, although I'm sure it will be an improvement from your current scent," he laughed.

"Have you got me anything, Dr Lecter? Out of curiosity?"

"I don't make a habit of buying my patients gifts, Will. But you are my friend as well, so I just might have."

"Well, I'll just have to wait the next two days with baited breath, won't I Dr Lecter?" He paused. "I didn't get you anything. Well, I haven't. I find it hard to buy people gifts, and I wasn't sure if it was appropriate."

"Did you buy Jack a gift?"

Will chuckled, "No. In truth, the only person I bought anything for was Alana. Not even myself."

"Maybe you should get yourself something you have been wanting?"

Will sighed, "Nothing I really want can be bought with money, Dr Lecter."

The day carried on like any other, with them chatting and Will thinking. He was shown to the guest bedroom and made himself comfortable, but he knew this comfort couldn't last.

Sleep was a visitor to him; it would come and go, leaving him with vivid dreams, vivid nightmares like its own sick Christmas gift. He was haunted by these visions of the Ripper, victims displayed in these theatrical ways like a depraved art gallery. He saw himself, and the intricately carved antlers from earlier... Drenched with sweat, he abruptly woke up and looked around him. It was Christmas Eve morning, early.

He pulled off his drenched shirt and headed to the shower.


	3. Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make this a game of how manny cannibal jokes I can make. Also fun drinking game is to drink every time I use the word abruptly.

The boiling hot shower water hit Will like a round of bullets. As he scrubbed the night sweat off of his clammy body he tried to shut off his thoughts, just for a little while, but to no avail. Spending you Christmas Eve thinking about serial killers-or rather, one in particular, isn't the basis to any feel good holiday movie, he thought.

Once he was clean and clothed he stumbled downstairs, eye stinging. He was surprised to see Hannibal already up and sitting in the front room, When Will entered, he turned around abruptly.

"Good morning, Will. Did you sleep well?"  
Will sighed, "No, not particularly. You know, with the visions and all."  
"I see. What have you been seeing, Will?"  
"Well...I saw the victims. Chesapeake Ripper victims, that is. I saw antlers.."  
"Antlers? As in..."  
"Like Garret Jacob Hobbs victims. And the copycat killing, which I believe the Chesapeake ripper was behind."  
"Are you having flashbacks to Hobbs' death?"  
"No...no, not really. I wasn't seeing the antlers of his victims..I was seeing the antlers from your statue. And I was seeing me. Me, carved and hung up, with these antlers on my head."  
Hannibal took a step back. "You were seeing yourself as a victim of the Ripper?"  
"Yes," Will replied hastily  
"Do you.. think that you might become one?"  
Will didn't answer the question, he merely sighed and stared out the window.  
"Should I make coffee?" Hannibal broke the silence.  
"Sure."  
Hannibal wandered out to the kitchen. Wills manners left much to be desired. The kind of manners that if you displayed the Ripper would create you into a very artistic corpse. But of course, Will didn't know the true nature of his acquaintance, and he wasn't coming out to play just yet

The coffee was strong and bitter, black as could be, and it startled the last tired bits of Will into action.  
"It's Christmas Eve," declared Will, as if it was a sudden realisation, "Are you planning anything special, Dr Lecter?"  
"Please, call me Hannibal, Will. And no, actually."  
"I'm so used to you having these massive dinners, you know, it seems strange for you to be having such a quiet celebration."  
"I think you'll find most people have plans with their families, Will," he said gently.  
"Oh. I kind of forgot, you know, about family."  
"Perhaps we can have a sort of makeshift celebration, however? I am always ready to cook, and it would seem such a waste to just do nothing."  
"I..I would appreciate that," Will smiled, "Thank you."

It was 1PM when they sat down at the table together. Over a luxurious meal, typical of Hannibal although not showcasing his more "exotic" of tastes, they discussed a number of topics. Lithuanian Christmas traditions, Christmas music.  
"What about you, Will? Do you have any Christmas memories, perhaps from childhood?"  
"My family didn't do much at Christmas," he blurted out. And it was true, although one particular year, when he was six or maybe seven, stuck out in his memory; he was sitting on the floor in his threadbare kitchen, drinking cheap cocoa from a stained mug. His father, blurry eyed and unsteady, came out to poor another glass of scotch. He couldn't remember if he had any presents. It wasn't the most sentimental of moments.

"Some families prefer not to make the fuss." Hannibal relished his last morsel of meat. He couldn't help thinking about what it would taste like if he prepared that exact meal, with a, ahem, slightly rarer delicacy. Perhaps from someone in particular.

"Yeah, well, mine was certainly one of them." Will paused, "Hey, Dr-Hannibal, you know what you were saying about gifts?"  
"Hmm?" Hannibal's "humanitarian" thoughts were interrupted.  
"Did you really get me anything?"  
"Is that what you've been thinking about? Gifts?" He tutted in a joking manner,  
"I mean, I don't really care-" Will tried to brush it off.  
"I was just kidding, Will. And you will get the same response you did yesterday; you will find out tomorrow."  
"Tommorow?"  
"You're like a child," Hannibal chuckled , "Not long left now, Will."

 


End file.
